Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen
by Kouta Aburame
Summary: Join Seiou in his goal to protect the peace of the five nations.
1. The Sun and Stars

**Authors Note: **I would think this was clear but I don't own either the characters nor the story of _Naruto._

Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen

The sun peaked over the mountians when a dark silhouette burst forth. It dashed across the vast sea of sand as it shifted from black to light brown with the rising of the sun. The mans features also became clearer as the light covered the desert landscape.

The man was fairly tall in stature, probably around his twenties. His short red hair poked from the rag tied around his head, probably to keep the desert heat from roasting his brain. His body was covered with a skin-tight suit he wore under his red shirt and blue belt laced pants.

It was around ten when the desert reach an potentially leathal temperature. The increased heat also brought more heat, sending curtains of sand across the desert and rubbing the man's exposed skin raw. He decided to look for some shelter and wait under the shade for high noon to pass. However, there wasn't even a rock face or cactus indicating any life had ever lived in the bland harsh environment. Shukaku, the desert spirit must've carved this place long ago.

The flat landscape proved inhospitable, but he could see a small figure in the distance. It was difficult to make out, but it looked like a wall from here. If that was truly a wall, then the Hidden Sand Village must've been inside. Even if it wasn't the place, he could use it for much needed shade. It had only been a few hours but the slicing winds blew sand in places he didn't even know he had. He decided there was nothing to lose if he did go and ran into the point.

Two hours later, the man stood at the outskirts of the wall. The wall towered for hundreds of feet formed completly from compacted sand! It was so high, he could bearly make out the people patroling on top. Most looked like Chunnin or Jonin but he couldn't decern there details from here. The entrance was in eyeshot and it of course was guarded more proficiently than the wall. Ten ninja, at least jonin level juging by their clothing, were pearched around the entrance to the gate, all with a look of pure boredom on their face.

As he approached the gate, he was instantly surrounded by the entire guard. These guys had been trained well. A ninja wearing sand colored clay mask emerged from the circle to verify him. He must've been an ANBU member to be wearing a mask like that.

"Who are you? State your purpose!" The ANBU member barked.

"My name is Seiou Kenyo. I've been traveling for most of the night, and I need somewhere to rest and replenish my water during high noon." He replied passively.

"Leave," the man said firmly, " If you don't have official business then you are not welcome!"

"But its high noon, if I travel like this, I'll be dead in a couple of hours. Please, show me the slightest bit of compassion and at least let me have some water."

"No." he replied bluntly. Even though Seiou couldn't see his face, he was sure he didn't even bat an eyelash. He started slouching away from the village when another man came from the gate entrance. The clay masked ANBU emerged from the crowd to look at the stranger. Normally, the man would have watched him leave as he would with most people. This time however, he noticed the two swords on Seiou's back.

The ANBU dashed in front of the sulking traveler and urged him back to the gate, trading pleasured greetings along the way.

"What happened to you?" the ANBU asked concerned.

"I needed to cross the desert to reach the Hidden Mist Village but the desert was harsher than I ever thought. I could feel the heat scrambling my brain. Before I knew it, I finish all the water I had. I though I was done for until I saw this village in the distance. Now after running all the way here, I can't even get a drop of water because I don't come on 'official business'," He replied.

By the time he finished, they already reached the gate.

"He said what?!" He exclaimed turning to the other ANBU, "Do you know who this is?!"

"Well no but."

"This man is the captain of the Hidden Leaf's ANBU squad. He's the one the Hokage brings to diplomatic meetings for protection."

"All the more reason to not let him in," He said, "If he is that skilled, he poses a threat to the Kazekage."

"This man saved the Kazekage once on his way to meet with the Hokage, he was attacked by a large squad of jonin! They caught his group by surprise and his guard was quickly eliminated. Then, they were about to finish him, this man came and defended him."

"Oh come on, your men already had them on the ropes by the time I got there." Seiou commented bashfully.

"You're just being modest."

"But orders are orders sir," The ANBU guard said hesitantly.

"This man saved the Kazekage's life! And you're just going to send him away in his time of need?!"

"B-but what if he-"

"I'll take all the blame if he does anything. Now hurry up, can't you see he needs water?"

"Y-yes sir."

"And make sure you have a house ready for him to stay in tonight."

"Yes sir"

"Good."

It took a long time to get through the gate as the walls stretched for hundreds of feet inward. As they walked further into the village, he noticed the guard was much weaker here than at the front. They might've had explosive traps placed in the neighboring walls. That way, they could easily close there village to all outsiders.

When they were out of earshot, the ANBU man began with an apology: "Sorry about him, he's new to the squad and is a little stiff with the rules."

"Yeah I noticed," Seiou replied.

"SO Seiou, what have you been doing since we last met."

"It's a long story," Seiou replied cheerfully, "How about you Baki? I heard you were being promoted."

"Yeah," Baki replied, "you know, I'm surprised I saw you sulking away like that. I bet you were going to sneak in after you were out of sight weren't you?"

Seiou cracked a big smile clearly said "yep" to his question. A big grin appeared on Baki's face and the both laughed all the way down to the village.

The village itself was even more magnificent than the wall surrounding it. Like the wall, everything was made entirely of compacted sand. It went in a complete circle and ascended like a staircase towards the center that was almost the same height as the wall itself. The overall architecture of the village was ingenious! It clearly symbolizing the village's preparation for battle.

"That's right, you've never been in our village before have you," Kaze said noticing Seiou's mesmerized look.

"Come to think it, no I haven't. It was always such a blast when you came to the village Baki."

"I should give you a tour of the area later, but first I need to notify the Kazekage of your arrival. Meet back here in an hour alright?"

"Alright," he replied.

Seiou decided to burn some time and sat down to inspect his swords. He looked up to see some children staring at him from around building corners and out of windows. Clearly, these kids rarly saw strangers come to the village. For a while, they kept their distance, slightly afraid of him but eventually one of the kids, looking about six years old inched his way towards him.

"Hey what's your name?" Seiou asked.

"Um… Kota," he said a little hesitantly.

Seiou started rubbing his black ragged hair, "Come on don't be so tense, you look like Baki when first meet," he leaned in to wisper in the kids ear, "between you and me, he still looks like that."

"You know Baki?" he asked curiously.

"You bet! I've known that guy since we were both genin," Seiou put the boy on his lap, "I believe I first meet him during the chunnin exams. At first, he was a big fart to me saying he was the greatest thing since ramen, all because he was three years older than me! He made me so mad! So I decided to play a trick on him."

"What did you do?!" asked the boy sitting attentively.

"Well the night before the first preliminaries, I snuck into his room and poured itching powder all over his bed. I laughed so hard the next day when he came to the prelims scratching like this," Seiou said comically imitating the move.

The other kids were interested now, they all started coming out from behind the houses and some even went to get their friends. In a matter of minutes, he was surrounded by kid's eager to listen to his stories. Seiou went on and on about his relationship with Baki. He told them when Baki got revenge for Seiou's prank by placing a fake eye in his drink. It shocked him so much; he fell backwards hitting his head on the floor. Both of them laughed so hard and from that point they were friends. Baki even joined him during the second prelims and helped him fight off a band of ninja's as well as an army of giant centipedes.

The kids sat attentively, eager to listen to him weave tales of his childhood. Seiou was having a great time making the children laugh but one child caught Seiou's eye in particular. He was still behing a nearby building, cluching his stuffed bear tightly to his chest. His green eyes stared with just as much enthusiasm as the other children but he kept his distance.

Seiou put the boy on his lap down: "Hey you over their come here don't be shy."

At first, the kids looked at each other, wondering who he was talking to. The boy in back didn't say anything but pointed at himself asking if it was he was referring to. Seiou simply nodded and patted his lap. The red haired boy slowly walked towards him through the crowd of children.

Then, as the boy walked to him, he sensed the atmoshphere change. The kids eyes suddenly turned hateful as they look at the boy. He could fell fear emanating from them, as if this little boy was dangerous somehow. Just as he sat on Seiou's lap, a little girl approached him got on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear: "I don't think you know mister but that boy is a monster."

"This little guy? You've got to be joking." Seiou said slightly shocked.

"No," the girl said, "I've seen him kill people before, we all have."

"But he looks about as harmful as any of you. Hey what's your name?"

"Gaara," he said.

"That's a nice name. Hey Gaara, you wanna fly?"

"Fly?" He queried but without even waiting for permission, Seiou picked Gaara up spinning him round and round. At first, he was screaming, frightened of the new experience bit his screams soon dissolved into laughter and pure pleasure. He even spread his arms out when he realized he wasn't going to fall. It felt like so short a time to him when Seiou put him down and he wanted to fly again. He looked so happy, it made Seiou wonder how the children thought this small shy boy could possibly kill.

"Who's next?" He said but no one was there. No one wanted to be even close to Gaara.

It was around then when Baki returned for the tour. He gave Gaara one final pat on the head and urged him off into the streets.

"Your just as good with kids as ever," Baki said.

"Your just as good as me," Seiou commented.

"You even made Gaara happy."

A serious look crossed over Seiou's usually happy expression, "Baki, why do those kids hate Gaara?"

"Well, it's hard to say."

"Come on, how bad could it be?"

"Gaara,,, was infused with Shukaku at birth."

"They infused a child with Shukaku?! Why didn't you try to stop it?"

"I did, but the Kazekage wouldn't listen to me. To believe he would do it to his own son."

"Gaara is the Kazekage's son?!"

"Yes."

There was a long silence between the two that was broken by Seiou. "I need some time to be alone." He said.

"But the tour-"

"The tour can wait! I've got to go."

"Seiou!" Baki shouted but he was already out of sight. He had to find him quick. Seiou rarly got mad and in this case, his anger might lash out at the children.

Seiou wandered through the streets in a complete fury. How could the Kazekage infuse his own son with Shukaku?! It didn't seem possible that his own father would curse him so. When he rescued the Kazekage before, he seemed to be the type who would protect his country but to believe his ambition was so great!

He found navigating the village a lot easier than he thought at first glance. The buildings were taller towards the center so he knew how deep he was in the city. He wandered around asking where Gaara was but no one seemed to know or care. He was about to give up and ask Baki where he lived when he came across the the playground.

Gaara was bent over, his hands covering his head as children threw rocks at him, all the while calling him a monster. The horrid sight made Seiou's blood boil. He rushed towards the scene, placing himself between Gaara and the boys taking several stones to his stomach. He rushed up to one of the boys and hit him square in the face sending him flying several feet and knocking him out.

Seiou's breath came in heavy, "What the hell are you doing?!!"

"We were teaching that boy a lesson," said the boy with an evil grimace.

"You make me sick! This boy hasn't done anything wrong!"

The boy was lifting his knocked out companion, "Why do you side with that monster?"

"He's as human and nothing you say will change that."

"And to believe I thought you were cool," he dragged his friend around the corner of the next house.

"Are you alright Gaara?" Seiou asked holding out his hand.

"Y-yeah."

"Gaara, come with me, I want to talk to you."

Seiou put Gaara on his back and took him to the peak of Kazekage's tower, the tallest building in the village. While the sun was setting, they both sat there in still silence, unable to say what they wanted to the other.

"Mister," Gaara finally said..

"My name's Seiou."

"Seiou, why did you stand up for me? Nobody has ever done that for me."

"Because Gaara, you're you, not some monster everyone makes you out to be."

"I don't understand."

"They don't understand who **you **are Gaara. Because you are infused with Shukaku people think you are merely a weapon."

"How did you know about that?"

"Gaara, you and Shukaku are entirely different beings, don't let anyone, not even your father say otherwise. Prove to them you are more than a weapon. Prove to them you are human."

"But it isn't that easy. What do you do with someone who doesn't want to think your human?!"

"Gaara do you know why I brought you here?" he said looking to the sky, "The sun is truly beautiful but its only one star in the sky. Once it sun is gone, the other stars can show themselves and their beauty." Suddenly, the flames of the village pulled towards Seiou's outstretched hand forming into one unified flame that danced on his palm. He squeezing the minature fireball and blew small sparks into the sky.

The stars glowed with more beauty than Gaara had ever seen: "I created this jutsu so I could see the stars at there brightest. After all, when I die, I hope I can see my sister amongst the stars and beg her forgiveness."

Seiou was crying. Gaara recognized those tears, the tears of one who have felt the pain of loss. He couldn't control himself and he fell on Seiou, burying his face in his vest. He cried and cried until he fell asleep in Seiou's arms.

Gaara must have been moved for when awoke, he was in his room. That night was so mystical yet it felt so real. Did he dream the imagine the entire thing? Questions were still burning in his mind but he knew one thing for certain. Seiou had completly enticed him. He wanted to travel the world with his and see the other stars in this world. He ran to the gate where he first saw him hoping he would take him beyond the searing sun of his village.

A large crowd had gathered surrounding something covered in a white sheet. His father was there himself next to the object.

"Silence! the Kazekage speaks," said the guards on either side of the Kazekage.

"People, as you all know, a visitor entered our town yesterday in hopes of rest and water, or at least that's what he claimed to do. His true objective we believe was to steal Shukaku, our ultimate weapon and bring it back to his village!" There were mummers throughout the audience. The Kazekage waved his hands to silence them: "Luckily, we managed to kill the man before he could escape."

Cheers ran through the entire crowd while Gaara's stood there shocked. It was a lie, there was no way Seiou would kidnap him to be used as a weapon. Yet, as he played it through his mind, it made since. Rage began to build within him and Shukaku became restless.

"And now I reveal the body of the traito Seiou!" He ripped off the sheet but what they saw sent everyone, even Gaara for a loop. For what lay on the table wasn't Seiou but a human shaped straw doll with a note on its chest. The Kazekage was furious at his incompetence, knocking over the table and letting the straw doll land on the ground with a dull thud. Gaara ran up to the straw man and took the note.

"_Gaara, I'm sorry, but it seems I couldn't take you with me. As much as it hurts to say, I can never truly relate to you Gaara for you are possessed and I am not. However, there is a boy in the Hidden Leaf Village who like you is infused with a demon. I hope one day, you can meet this boy but until then, remember Gaara, as long as I'm alive, I will always think of you."_

_Wishing you stay well_

_Seiou Kenyo_

A tear ran down Gaara's face that day in the scorching sun of the Hidden Sand Village.

**Authors Note**: Thank you for reading this whether you liked it or not. Please leave a review.


	2. Home Sweet Home!

It had been over seven years since Seiou last saw his homeland. He stopped to admire the wondrous flower gardens that spanned across the village walls on his way to the market. It was a splendid sight as birds flocked from tree to tree and bees buzzed happily. He couldn't remember when the Hidden Leaf Village was this peaceful. He could still see a weapons factory erected where this beautiful flower garden was today.

His outfit very much resembled that of an organization called "Akatsuki" he heard about. His head was wrapped in cloth to conceal his red hair and he had a straw hat for extra assurance. He wore a tattered brown cloak as well, and tall boots to conceal his ANBU outfit and his twin swords strapped to his back. After all, he was famous here for what he did years ago and he didn't want to be noticed.

The marketplace was in full swing by the time Seiou arrived. The kids had just finished there day at the ninja academy and were eating lunch with their parents. While it was crowded, this was the perfect time to get information about the upcoming events. He decided to go to a nearby ramen shop to eat. He knew the owner and how kids around genin level loved to eat at his shop.

Lifting the banner, he sat on the far left seat. It didn't take long before a young girl came to take his order. She wore a white and blue kimono and her brown hair was neatly tied back.

"What can I get for you sir?" The girl asked.

"Can I see Ichiraku?" Seiou replied.

"Sure, but why do you need him?"

"I need to discuss something with him."

"Did you eat something bad?"

"No, I just need to speak to him. Now are you going to get him or not?"

"Yes, right away sir."

It wasn't long before Ichiraku came to meet him: "What do you need sir?" He asked.

"I need information regarding the Chunnin exams." Seiou said.

"I only talk to paying customers." Ichiraku said.

Seiou smiled tilting his straw hat to reveal his face so only Ichiraku would see: "Get me the usual."

"Y-your,"

"Shhh, I'm trying to keep a low profile here so can you keep this a secret?"

"Of course. You were my best customer once and I always trust a good customer."

"Thanks."

Ichiraku quickly made Seious ramen attempting to not look suspicious. Before Naruto ever visited his shop, Seiou ate there practically everyday even when he was in the ANBU black ops. However, on one of his missions, he mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Everyone just assumed he was killed but here he was making ramen for the man.

Ichiraku handed him his ramen and he ate quickly. Ichiraku waited patiently for him to finish his meal before he asked, "So, what do you need to know?"

"Who's participating in the Chunnin Exams this time?"

"Are you looking for someone in particular?"

"I heard Gaara of the Desert was participating in the tournament. Is that true?"  
"The mystery kid? Yeah I've heard of him. Supposedly he uses sand in his gourd as a weapon. It's supposed to move in it's own to protect him and I've heard he's never been wounded."

That sounds about right. With Shukaku in Gaara, it would be difficult to even touch Gaara if he didn't want it.

"Even with that everyone's betting on his opponent to win."

"Who is his opponent?"

"The Uchiha boy Sasuke."

"An Uchiha?" Seiou said surprised. From his sources, one of their own wiped out the entire clan. They said there was one survivor but he assumed it to be Itachi. To believe another was spared.

"Yeah and everyone thinks he'll beat this kid."

"I'm not sure if it will be as easy as everyone thinks."

"Then tell me, who would you bet on?"

Seiou gave this some thought: "Gaara," He said after a while.

"Why him?"

"You have no idea what that kid can do and neither does his opponent."

"You do have a point there."

"One more question, how's Naruto doing?"

"You certainly care for him don't you? He's been doing great. In fact, he's **also** in the Chunnin Exams."

"Really?!" Seiou said with calm surprise.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe he used to be a little prankster."

Seiou stood up, "Thanks Ichiraku. Here, for the food."

"Keep it. It's on the house."

"Thanks," Seiou said.

"It's nothing for an old friend." He said laughing, "Say I have to ask, how do you plan to get into the stadium tomorrow? There are ANBU members at every gate and there no slouches as you know."

Seiou turned, giving him one of his trademark smiles, "Don't worry, I'll find a way." He said with a slight chuckle before vanishing from the store.

Ichiraku cracked a smile. Naruto reminded him so much about Seiou especially of his resourcefulness and trickery.

Seiou know there wouldn't be any hotel rooms in town now with the Chunnin Exams so close so he headed for the mountain peak for the night. The Hokage's faces were carved into the face of the mountain with the first Hokage on the left and his successors to the right. It seemed the Third still hadn't found the Fouth's successor since there were still only four faces.

He was surprised to find no houses perched in the mountain. He could rest easy here now. He took off his cloak and hat reveling his usual light leather jacket emblazed with the Hidden Leaf Village's symbol.

The stars glimmering in the sky induced truly wondrous feelings upon anyone who looked at them. It made him think of that time seven years ago when he first met Gaara. They both sat upon the tallest building in the Hidden Sand Village and gazed at the stars. Gaara cried for ages that time and he carried him back to his guardian Yashumaru.

He wanted to take Gaara with him back then but the Kazekage wouldn't listen to reason. He called Seiou an enemy of the sand and attempted to have him killed. He would have succeeded to if he had a couple hundred more men. Still, he didn't want to shed any blood so he used his mirage jutsu on a straw replacement he made earlier and escaped undetected from the office.

He waited long into the night when everyone was in bed before he used his favorite jutsu to pull all the lights in the village to his hand. He blew the small away liked powder into the stars, making them even more radiant than before. He wondered if Gaara was looking up at the stars tonight. Then, with his sword at his side, he fell asleep anxious to see Naruto and Gaara once again.

"_The stars are certainly beautiful tonight_," The Third Hokage thought standing on the balcony outside his office, "_It's almost as if… as if the Star Slayer was here."_

_**Authors Note:** Please leave a review. I especially want ideas for his next title because "Star Slayer sounds iffy._


	3. The Chunnin Exams

The sun just broke the horizon when Seiou awoke. After a meal of salted pork and beans, he looked at the suns position. Judging by its height in the sky, he had about an hour before the chunnin exams. He didn't have time to waste so he donned his cloak and hat and flew to the stadium.

From the outside, the stadium was more majestic then he ever thought. It looked more like a feudal castle than a battle stadium. The stone granite slabs were completely smoothed out and painted with lacquer to prevent other ninja from climbing in from outside. The roofs were lined with clay tiles that he knew contained some trap. Even if he could climb the wall and escape the traps, someone would be spotted easily. Luckily, his plan involved entering the front door.

He found a place where he wouldn't be disturbed and withdrew a clay mask from his backpack. Nostalgia flooded him at the sight of it, remembering all the old missions he went on. Putting on the mask, he took his cloak and hat and placed them neatly in his backpack. When he swung the backpack back on, he looked like a perfect ANBU member.

He managed to get past security easily enough and found a place on the upper floor of seats. It looked even greater than it did outside. The stadium seats were packed with hundreds of spectators all on the edge of there seats in anticipation. Even the Hokage was sitting stunned in the private box.

Naruto just beat Neji. Many were cheering while others cursed after losing bets. Seiou merely smiled at the winner as he ran to his friends in the rafters. He quickly ran up to a pink haired girl wearing her ninja headband to hold back her hair.

"Wasn't I awesome Sakura?" Naruto bragged.

"Pipe down, the next match is starting," She replied.

Even with her harsh tone, it was clear she was still happy for Naruto. She just was too proud and embarrassed to express it. It wasn't just her either; nearly everyone sitting in there section was giving Naruto silent appreciation. It made Seiou so happy to finally see Naruto with friends his age.

The next battle was between Shikamaru and Temari according to a discarded flyer he picked up and it was almost as good as the first. In fact, Shikamaru seemed to outwit his opponent every step of the way. He even caught Temari in a shadow possession in the end but ran out of chakra to maintain it. He had witnessed and judged several of these fights before and he knew this boy would easily reach Chunnin rank.

Then, something strange happened. The next contender Sasuke was late. Normally this would call for instant disqualification but for some reason, the deadline was extended. He could see the Hokage reason for this action. After all, if these people didn't see the most anticipated fight of the entire exam, this situation would get ugly quick. Still, it felt like there was something else behind the Hokage's reasoning he just couldn't place his finger on.

Then, two jonin in front of him said something startling. It seemed the Hidden Leaf Village was under threat by another village. As a precaution, ANBU black op members were positioned in key parts of the village. He looked around the stadium and noticed something else. There were way to many ANBU members here for this particular point. It seemed Seiou wasn't the only ninja who decided to sneak in here. He would have to keep his guard up.

Sasuke reappeared for his match at the last moment possible. The crowd yelled in excitement upon his return eagerly waiting for the next match. From the rumors spreading throughout the crowd, everyone thought the Uchiha would beat Gaara into the ground but Seiou knew differently. An Uchiha was indeed someone to watch out for, but Gaara had Shukaku on his side. Seiou knew this was going to be an interesting battle.

Then Gaara stepped out from one of the arena doors. He was completely different from when Seiou met him seven years ago. Seiou looked at Gaara as he turned to look at his section. He felt Gaara's murderous intent even from this vantage point. Even the gourd on his sand emanated the same if not greater intent. This could only mean Shukaku was slowly dominating Gaara mind.

He wanted to tell the referee to stop the match. He knew that if Gaara got the chance, he would kill both of them to feed Shukaku but he couldn't. He knew if he went down there, he would be exposed. All he could do was hope for the best.

Luckily, Sasuke went far beyond everyone's high expectations. They could barely follow his movements as he raced circles around Gaara. Seiou found it hard to believe such a young ninja could achieve such blinding speed. Still, that boy still had a ways to go before he could keep up with him.

Gaara's sand shield couldn't keep up with such speed and he found himself weakening quickly. He knew his sand armor required too much chakra to maintain for very much longer and the sand shield was useless. He had no choice. If he were going to kill this guy, he would have to resort to _that_ jutsu.

Then, before everyone's eyes, Gaara began encasing himself in a perfect sand sphere. Sauske rushed forward as the last hole quickly folded over but even with his super speed, his fist only struck hard dense sand. Sasuke could only pull back as spikes erupted from the sphere scratching his cheek and legs.

Sasuke tried again to break the sphere, attacking it from every angle but every spot on that sphere was just as strong as the first. All he got out of it was a few more cuts from the sand spikes and some bloody knuckles. His fists were going to do nothing against something this hard so he decided to up the ante again.

He rushed up the wall, placing some distance between them as he prepared for his next attack. He made a few hand signs and grabbed the wrist of his open right hand. His hand glowed blue as if he was holding lightning in his palm. It even tore apart the wall as he prepared to sprint. His path was clear to everyone as the bolt etched a deep line of destruction into the wall. Then, Sasuke jabbed the bolt straight into the sphere splattering sand everywhere as it tore through.

Sasuke grabbed Gaara as he cried in pain. All he had to do now was pull him out and this was over. Then, he felt claws sink into his arm. He pulled back, yanking out what looked like an arm out of the cocoon. The claw let go and retracted as the sand sphere crumbled revealing Gaara clutching his badly wounded arm: "_What the hell was that?_" Sasuke thought.

That was clearly Shukaku's arm. He couldn't hide himself any longer. If Gaara were allowed to fight any longer, it would mean the end of the village. Just as Seiou was about to unsheathe his sword though, white feathers began falling from the sky making him drowsy. This was clearly genjutsu at work but who was casting it? He quickly dispelled the jutsu only to hear something big thunder in the distance. The battle of the Hidden Leaf Village had begun


	4. Seiou's Betrayal

Something smashed through the outer gates and ninja were pouring into the stadium. The Kazekage also made his move, capturing the Hokage and dragging him away with a kunai at his throat. The few ninja still awake were attempting to fight back but the ememy had the element of surprise. It was complete chaos.

It was then five ninja jumped him. Based on their garb and headband, they were from the Hidden Sound village. They moved well and in a Seiou quickly found himself surrounded. However, Seiou was even faster and in a flash, he pulled out his sword, slaying all five ninja in an instant.

With the same blinding speed, he rushed to the central arena to grab Gaara but it was too late. Two sand ninja took Gaara and fled into the forest. Sasuke had just given chase and Seiou, an older sand ninja, and the proctor were the only ones left in the central stadium.

Seiou recognized the sand ninja at first glance. It was his old friend Baki.

"Baki?! What are you doing here?" Seiou asked in disbelief.

"That voice," Baki replied surprised, "Is that you Seiou?"

"Answer my question!" Seiou said removing his head rag. There was no point in hiding his identity now unless he wanted to kill the proctor.

"My objective is to destroy this village," Baki said.

"What? Why?!"

"Your as naïve as ever Seiou. I do whatever Lord Kazekage wishes. Besides, why do you care about this village anyway? You left this place behind years ago."

"…"

"What are you talking about?" The proctor asked, "Is this man really Seiou?"

"Of course, though he is also a traitor of your village," Baki replied.

"What?"

"You don't know? Then let me enlighten you. Seven years ago, three squads attacked my lord the Fifth Kazekage. That team was lead by Seiou. Do you want to guess what happens next proctor?"

"This man killed all of his companions to protect my lord!"

"Is this true?" the proctor asked stunned.

"…Yes. I thought if we killed the Kazekage, the Great War would only escalate and even more people would die," said Seiou.

"And ever since then, he's been traveling the world. Exiled from his village by his own hand."

"I heard Seiou mysteriously vanished seven years ago but because of this?! Seiou! I'm taking you into custody."

"Leave now!" Seiou commanded, "It will take much more than you to capture me."

"Even if that's true, I still have to try."

Seiou slapped the man on the cheek. The proctor was stunned, he didn't even see Seiou's hand move: "Open your eyes fool," Seiou said, "Your village is under attack and your going to waste time and energy fighting me? You know you can't win so leave and help your companions in the streets where you'll be useful."

The proctor didn't want to admit it but this man was right. If he was truly Seiou than he served as the previous ANBU captain. He was on a completely different level. He could probably take him with help but everyone was repelling the invaders.

"Now go, or I will kill you to," Seiou said sternly. His eyes bore such murderous intent that the proctor couldn't say a word edgewise. He left quickly to join his companions on the front lines.

Seiou turned to Baki: "Baki. I don't want to fight you."

"Then join me Seiou. There's no place left for you here," Baki said.

"I won't."

"What?!"

"It's true there is no place left for me in this village but I will not let you or anyone else destroy this place!"

"Are you trying to atone or something?"

"Maybe so. I know those I can never be forgiven but I will do anything to protect the people who still live in this village. Even if it means fighting you Baki!"

"Seiou… your serious aren't you?"

Seiou's eyes said everything.

"Then I won't hold back. In the name of the Hidden Sand Village and Lord Kazekage, I will destroy you Seiou!"

A blade formed in his right hand. So this was Baki's Kaze no Yaiba. Seiou heard he perfected a technique that channeled wind into a blade but this was the first time he ever saw it. He would have to stay on his toes.

The two swordsmen clashed, neither giving an inch as there blades clashed with unreal speed and power. Each clash sent explosions of red and green chakra flying into the seats, killing several ninja fighting around.

It was difficult for Seiou to fight against a weapon like Baki's. The blade was completely invisible to Seiou making it tough to block. All he could do to defend was watch watch Baki's swings and counter.

Seiou slipped up though, misreading Baki who went for a stab instead of a slice. The blade left a deep wound in Seiou's side forcing him to break away. Both of them used the time to catch their breath. Baki had become one of the strongest ninja Seiou had ever fought. His carbon steel blade was already chipping in places and he knew it wouldn't last much longer against Baki's chakra blade. He sheathed his sword

"Giving up already?" Baki said laughing.

"No," He said, "I just haven't taken this fight seriously enough."

He withdrew his other sword. This blade was unlike anything Baki had seen before. The blade was perfectly clear, it caught the light, reflecting it in a plethora of color like a prism

It wasn't only the blade that was different. The color of Seiou's chakra was changing from red to orange to yellow to green and so on shifting through the rainbow spectrum and it was healing his wounds.

"Baki, this blade is forged from solid diamond the hardest mineral on earth. It took my family over a hundred years to craft this weapon. You should be honored Baki, I only use this blade when I truly take my opponent seriously."

"You don't scare me Seiou."

"I should. Here I come Baki."

Seiou's aura erupted like a volcano before he vanished. In an instant, Seiou closed the distance between them prepared for an under slash. Baki blocked the attack but it felt like trying to stop a mountain. Even with both hands, Baki was sent flying, smashing into the opposing wall with thunderous force.

"_Dammit, what the hell was that?_" Baki thought coughing up blood. It didn't seem possible such a carefree ninja could possess such strength. His power went far beyond his imagination. It was like fighting the Kazekage himself. No, this was even stronger than that.

Seiou wasn't about to give Baki time to lick his wounds. He leapt into the air, poising for his next attack: "Dance of the Crescent Moon," He said.

Baki was scared now. He was fighting a monster! In desperation, he threw shuriken at the beast. Seiou merely pushed on, letting the shuriken past straight through him. Rational thought completely left Baki now. Seiou was no longer human he was a ghost! An apparition!!

"What are you looking at Baki?"

Seiou's voice came from behind him. He turned to see his attacker with his left palm outstretched touching his chest. Next thing he knew, he was rolling violently through a flood of rainbow chakra, washing him back to the arena center.

"What the hell was that?" Baki wondered. Seiou was already on top of him sword in hand. Baki no longer had the strength to even move his fingers.

"Finish me Seiou." Baki said weakly.

"No," Seiou said sheathing his sword, "Your already finished."

"If you leave me here… I will only continue my mission."

"Oh I'm not to worried about that."

"?"

"I've sealed all of your chakra points. I doubt you'll be doing anything for a few years."

"Dammit Seiou, how did you get this strong?"

"It's a secret," He said childishly. He was already back to his carefree self, "Rest old friend, There's still one thing I need to do."

Baki couldn't help but smile at Seiou's childish expression as he passed out. After taking Baki somewhere safe, Seiou knew he had one last thing to do. During there fight, he saw giant snakes crashing through the village. If he took them out, he knew the remaining shinobi in the village could drive the enemy away.

There were five all together so he preformed a shadow clone jutsu creating eight clones, two for each snake. They all dispersed leaving the original standing in the arena. He knew he didn't have enough strength to spread out his chakra for another clone due to chakra seal he placed on Baki. He didn't like to do it, but he had no choice but to summon **him**.

**Authors Note: **Please leave me a review. I want to know if I did the fight scene well and if not, how it can improve. Tune in to the next chapter when Seiou summons **Him**.


	5. Seiou the Demon

He bit both of his thumbs allowing a small trickle of blood to flow from each of them. He then preformed two different hand signs on each hand simultaneously. It took several minutes and hundreds of hand signs, he slammed both hands to the ground creating a glyph between them.

"Summon, MARASUME!" He shouted. He lifted his hands as the sword rose from the glyphs center. Marasume was the strongest blade ever forged. Its power surpassed even that of the grass snake sword. It would only reveal itself to one with the coordination, dexterity, and concentration to perform two summonings simultaneously.

"It's been a long time Seiou," The sword said.

"Too long my friend," Seiou said.

"So what do I get to kill this time?"

"How does summon beast sound?"

"Sounds delicious, but I won't share the spoils with your friend there."

"I didn't think so," Seiou chuckled looking at his diamond sword, "You and Carcer never got along did you?"

"No, and we never will."

"Now let's go save this village." Seiou said pulling the sword from the ground.

"Your such a dork," Marasume said on the way.

"I am not!" Seiou wined. They both laughed the whole way there.

It didn't take them long before they reached the final summon beast. It was a massive twin headed snake reared up to intimidate anyone with its large size. It was just as Seiou first predicted; Orochimaru was behind this entire invasion and that barrier he saw earlier must be his hiding place. If his assumptions were still correct, the Third would still in the barrier, fighting Orochimaru to the death. He would have to finish this quickly if he wanted to save him.

"What is this?" Marasume asked sarcastically, "you bring me out for something as weak as this?"

"Well you see," Seiou said putting his hand behind his head, "I kinda preformed my chakra seal. Between that and my clones, I'm a little weak you see ahahaha."

"I swear you and Carcer are too soft for your own good," Marasume replied, "Still, I've always wondered what snake blood tastes like. Alright Seiou, lets have some fun."

"Lets," Seiou said maliciously.

Seiou charged with a look of pure bloodlust as he let Marasume merge with him. The snake was unimpressed and tried to swat the pest away with its massive tail. It wouldn't make that mistake again as Marasume sliced the poor creatures tail clean off. Blood flew everywhere as the snake writhed in pain showering Marasume with his now evil grin.

Still, the thrashing made the snake's movements unpredictable and it hit Marasume in its blind rage. He flew several feet hitting the border wall behind him, placing a large cobweb crack in it. That attack broke two of his ribs and his left arm but he didn't care anymore. Now that Marasume was in control, he no longer felt pain.

The snake finally regained his composure and was boiling mad. It wrapped around it's wounded opponent, squeezing the warrior as hard as it could. However, Marasume was too strong to be held by such a pathetic grip. He ripped free cutting the snake's body into several tiny sections.

It's heads convulsed on the ground unable to move it's severed body. For the first time, the snake felt fear of this man who was spotted from head to toe with his own blood. It tried to get away, pulling itself with its fangs to escape but Marasume wasn't about to let his prey get away. He wanted to play with it as long as possible. He knew once this thing was dead, he would be sent back to the summon world, unable to kill anything until his master decided to use him again. How he hated his master's kindness.

Marasume stabbed the pathetic creature, drinking its blood as it cried in pain. The blood was so delicious. He continued to stab the poor thing drinking it's blood until its withered husk finally died, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

He still wasn't satisfied. He needed more blood, much more than that meager serving. He needed human blood. At that moment, Seiou snapped awake, separating Marasume's mind from his own and throwing it back into the sword.

"Dammit Seiou I must have **more** blood!"

"Not today Marasume. If I let you satisfy that craving of yours, you'd probably kill everyone here."

"I wouldn't kill everyone, I promise!"

"No Marasume, its time to leave."

He slammed the sword into the ground, opening a glyph back to the summoning world. "Damn you Seiou, DAMN you!" The swords voice grew fainter as the blade sank through the ground until Seiou could no longer hear it at all. There was only one thing to do now, escape.

The surrounding ninja stood stunned at Seiou's madness. It was a long time before any even moved at all, fearing to anger him even more. There fear was groundless. Seiou's chakra was almost completely exhausted and twinges of pain surged through his chest and arm. He should have known Marasume would get too excited and break something.

The other ninja saw their chance when he gripped his broken arm and lunged at him. Kunai knifes rained on the helpless ninja showering him with death as he collapsed. Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen lay dead with over fifty shuriken in his back.

At least, that's what Seiou saw from the top of the village wall. By simply altering the heat around a certain area, he could create a mirage and make his enemies see whatever they wanted to see. This was his specialty for quick escapes, the Mirage Jutsu.

He still wanted to save the Third Hokage and pursue Gaara but his injuries were too grave and his chakra too weak. He wasn't too worried about it though. He could feel Naruto's chakra with Gaara's as they battled far beyond the village's borders. It was better this way he thought. Naruto, like Gaara, was infused with a demon and as such, the only one who could relate to Gaara's pain.

As for the Third, his strength was still amazing despite his age. Even Orochimaru didn't stand a chance against him and his monkey king staff. While he wanted to help but he knew in his state, he would only get in the way. With that, Seiou disappeared into the woods to tend his wounds certain that everything would work out in the end.

**Authors Note**: This is the end of Seiou's chunnin exams. Please leave me a review. I want to know if you understand the merger with Marasume. From then until Seiou regained control, I never used Seiou's name once. That's because he became Marasume in that time.

This is a good end for Seiou in my opinion but he seems to developed to leave like this. If I get enough reviews for this story again, I'll continue Seiou's adventure.


	6. Proposal

**Authors Note:** I'm sorry this took so long to put up. It was deleted from my computer and I had to retype it over again. From now on, I'll try to update this every week, two weeks at most if I can.

Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen

Chapter 6: Proposal

Seiou pushed his way through the various lilac and maple trees surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village and made his escape. Normally he would stop and look at the beautiful trees as there leaves changed from green to red and gold, but he was on the run and couldn't waste time.

His hasty retreat forced him to leave his traveling cloak and straw hat back in the stadium. Now his jonin jacket and twin swords were fully revealed and though it proved less cumbersome, he could no longer conceal his visage.

In addition, his broken arm and ribs screamed in pain and he could barley stand it. He knew in this condition, he was far too weak to jump through the trees as usual. He had little choice but to travel the thick undergrowth on the forest floor.

From the start, this course proved to be very difficult and irritating. Random branches snapped as he pushed them aside, whipping him several times in the face. Some branches even his broken arm, sending a new surge or pain through his body.

The webbing of branches was not only painful, but disorientating as well. A couple of minutes later, he no longer could tell his direction. A thick canopy above covered even the sun, which he usually used for navigation, blocking it from view. All he could do was run on his instincts.

The dirt, sticks, and twigs soon found its way into every inch of his freshly cleaned hair. "_Curse you Marasume!_" He thought, shaking mounds of dirt from his jacket, "_He never cares for what shape I'm in!_"

Still, the trek had some good points. Along the way, he found sprigs of Columbine and even Marigold growing wildly amongst the chaotic mess of plants. He knew someone who'd love to have such rare plants in there collection. He made sure to cut around the plants to give the plants some soil to plant their roots. He knew they would last longer in his pouch if he took this extra step.

The thick undergrowth also shielded him from sight and made his movements very unpredictable. After all, what ninja in his right mind would possibly run below the trees?

He was snapped from his thoughts when he heard something rustle the bushes from up ahead. The noise slowly grew louder as the rustling came steadily closer. Seiou turned sharply to the right, doubling his pace. It kept up with him, even seemed to gain on him. Whatever this thing was, it was no tracker ninja, it was too fast and maneuverable for that. Even in his condition, he could have no choice but to fight.

The rustling separated, spreading out to surround him. He increased his pace even more. He wouldn't stand much chance going up against one person, nonetheless two, but even now, the ninja were keeping up easily with him. He had to shake them off quickly.

Seiou stepped on a rotting log only to discover a pit viper hiding in the logs shade. The frightened snake struck defensively, missing Seiou's leg by mere inches. The surprise encounter knocked him off balance and he tumbled. The snake struck again, but Seiou was already too far to reach.

He had fallen into a large circular clearing. Judging from the lack of plants or even trees, this place must've been cleared by other humans, and recently to. There were faint traces of a summoning circle that filled the entire clearing. It looked like a detrahedral configuration, a large and powerful summoning that required at least ten ninja at once. This must've been where the summon snakes that attacked the village originated.

"So, Orochimaru is here to I see."

Seiou turned around, shocked to hear that voice again: "Long time no see… Itachi."

Itachi emerged from the undergrowth backed with another ninja. His body was covered with a black robe decorated with red nimbus clouds, clearly stating his relation with Akatsuki. His straw hat was bent downward to conceal his face and more importantly, the Sharingan. He hadn't change at all since their last encounter.

Five years ago, Seiou came to the Stone Country to visit an old friend. Itachi had waited there for several weeks, waiting to offer Seiou a proposition. At that time Seiou refused and Itachi left saying he will return after giving him some time to think. Even though Itachi was once his best friend, Seiou hoped the day they meet again would never come.  
Seiou knew Itachi all too well but it was his companion that made him uneasy. He wore a Hidden Mist headband with a large horizontal slash across the middle. Like Itachi, he wore a black cloak and on his back, laid a massive sword. Still, the thing that caught Seiou's attention was his face. His skin was blue and gills protruded from its sides. He didn't even try to hide that alien façade with a straw hat of his own.

"It's been a long time Seiou," Itachi said.

"Not long enough!" Seiou replied.

"You've certainly grown hostle."

"Itachi, who is this guy?" the fish guy said.

"That's right; you weren't with me when we last met."

"Can I play with him a bit? He looks like fun."

Hearing that was good news. Ever since he fled the village, he used the mirage jutsu to conceal his injuries. He couldn't afford to look weak, especially if Akatsuki was after him.

"Down Kisame," Itachi said, "we didn't come here to fight."

"Then why are you here?"

"We are under orders from Akatsuki to capture the Jinchukiri and bring him back to headquarters."

"What do you need Naruto for?"

"Why don't you come with us and see for yourself."

"What?"

"Join us Seiou. I'm sure Pain-sama will greet you with open arms."

"My answer is still the same!"

"Seiou, I've given you years to contemplate our deal. We know you've been wandering the four corners of the continent since your exile. Haven't you seen the destruction and sorrow that war causes? Seiou, become the tenth member of Akatsuki and let us end this suffering together, like you always wanted."

"Itachi, we've been friends since childhood, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have."

"You've done so much for me. With your help I was able to perfect my greatest jutsu. However, I can never join Akatsuki."

"Why do you still refuse?"

"Because Akatsuki… believes in necessary sacrifice."

"Seiou, even after all these years, you still haven't learned anything have you? Life is like chess, in order to win, pieces must be sacrificed."

"And I believe I can win without sacrificing any pieces."

"Seiou… there's no convincing you is there? Very well, if you still refuse to join Akatsuki, then I have no other choice. Seiou, I will kill anyone who threatens Akatsuki, even you."

"What do you think you can do Itachi?" Seiou bluffed.

"Plenty, now that your arm's broken."

What are you talking about Itachi? His arm is just fine."

Dammit, he can see through the jutsu. It shouldn't have been a surprise, considering he helped him perfect the jutsu. However, before Itachi left the village, Seiou could fool even his eyes with the jutsu. Did he find someway to improve the Sharingan?

Seiou had no choice but to fight. He withdrew his carbon-steel blade and held it out against them. Seiou fought against the Uchiha many times before and knew never to make eye contact one or you would fall victim to their genjutsu.

However, Kisame sprang into action and cleaved Seiou. Seiou managed to block the blade and back away but his sword suffered for it. New cracks splintered across its shining surface, weakening it further from his fight with Baki. He knew the sword could only take two or three hits like that before it shattered and Carcer was too exhausted to fight. There was only one way he could get out of this, but he knew a certain someone would hate what would happen.

He twitched his broken arm a little. Good, there was still some feeling left in it. He forced the arm up and performed the hand signs for his next jutsu.

The jutsu was finished just as Kisame started charging. He allowed his hand to drop on his sword. He tilted the sword, allowing his hand to slide down the remaining length. When the hand fell off, the sword began to glow a bright green.

Itachi saw through the guise, "Kisame, get away from him!"

But it was too late; Seiou swung the sword just as Kisame's blade came down: "Wind style, Wind Cutter Jutsu!"

Kisame felt the full brunt of the attack as the razor sharp wind spiraled through the air, cutting through his skin like sickles as it forced him to the ground. Massive clouds of loose dirt erupted through the air, veiling both Akatsuki in a thick smokescreen. By the time the dust settled, Seiou had already escaped.

"_Dammit!_" Kisame thought, "_That guy was fun._"

"Come on Kisame," Itachi said motioning him over, "We still need to finish our mission."

"Com'n Itachi, who was that guy? I haven't fought someone with that much strength in years!"

To believe he could escape from both of them in his condition. He even injured Kisame with a chakra attack: "His name is Seiou Kenyo," Itachi replied. And at full strength, he may even be strong enough to fight Pain-sama.

**Authors Note: **Thanks for reading this story. Reviews are food for the writer. Please feed the starving writer.

Next time: Seiou has succesfully escaped the Hidden Leaf but where will he go now and who is the beautiful women who joins him? Find out next time on **Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen Chapter 8: Memorial**


	7. Recovery

Seiou the Drifting Swordsmen

Chapter 7: Recovery

Seiou's good arm burned fiercely as his muscles tightened and twisted in his arm. Certainly the wind cutter jutsu was powerful, but it was risky to use with his injuries. Now, it might take a few days before he could use that arm for combat again.

His body wasn't the only thing that was severely injured during the fight. The sword was unable withstand the techniques mighty force. It had suffered too much damage beforehand. Now the blade shattered like dust across the clearing, leaving only the pommel gripped tightly in his hand.

He could feel the constrictions from his arm slowly spreading throughout his body. This was the largest consequence of forcing the production of such large amounts of chakra. His spiritual energy was still burning strong but his physical energy was almost out. The body instinctively attempts to equal out the energies and restore balance by producing vast amounts of physical energy to compensate. To do this however, his body must exert it from its source, the muscles.

Normally the stress is unnoticeable but for such a large loss of chakra, the muscles were expanding, growing in mass and strength to a point where his bones were groaning under the pressure. If this contraction continued to spread, his vitals could overwork and stop working, even if that didn't happen, the sudden contraction would paralyze him, rendering him food for whatever lived in the forest. He had to find his teammates quickly.

Then he heard something from above, and it was falling fast: "Seiou!!!"

The person hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground. Her black hair was neatly pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a fiber mesh suit under her solid white t-shirt with black pants. The Hidden Mist's headband was wrapped tightly around her right arm. Seiou recognized the obnoxious teenager immediately.

"Where have you been Seiou? We've been looking everywhere for you and here you are, wandering through the forest like some cat!"

"Chiyu, get off and hel-"

"Don't interrupt me while I'm venting," Chiyu said irritably, "Anyway, you need to stop wandering off on your own like that. I mean, we do worry about you you know. And don't give me that look!" She looked down expecting him to roll his eyes or something but he was out cold.

"Seiou? Wake up! I still need to yell at you!" Chiyu shouted, shaking Seiou's limp body. Seiou's broken arm flapped abnormally, bending sickeningly away from its normal direction.

She noticed immediately, "What the hell happened to your arm?" Chiyu said. He must've gotten in a fight, but what could cause this much damage to Seiou? She stripped the jacket and shirt from his chest to provide a diagnostic. It seemed his arm, as well as two ribs were broken in his right side. Another rib was broken on his left side as well, no thanks to her and several cuts ran across his chest and legs. The abrasions may take some time to heal but they weren't lethal so they could wait.

His left arm however could not. The muscles were contorting in strange wormlike shapes that spread across his pectorals and even his upper abdominals. It appeared to be a hyperfelxing of the muscles, most likely from a lack of physical energy. The protrusion was spreading quickly; she would need to transfuse a large amount of chakra to cease the destructive reaction.

"Koto, get over here quick! I found Seiou!" She yelled into her headset.

"_Alright, I'll be right there._" Koto replied. Chiyu was fairly competent he would be here soon. Their headsets were equipped with a GPS system and a tracker, allowing the team to locate one another anywhere in a ten-mile radius.

Koto landed in the clearing, about a minute after the distress call. He was about three inches higher than Chiyu and had a small trim cut similar to Seiou's. He wore a camo jumpsuit with similar sweatpants and a sword was slung across his back: "Chiyu, what's the situation?"

"I need you help!" Chiyu replied.

"Well, this is a first."

"This isn't the time for witty retorts! Seiou's seriously injured!"

"What? What happened?!"

"His body is undergoing extreme vermiculation. He needs a chakra transplant."

"Right, I'm on it," Koto said running over, "What should I do?"

I need you to place your hand here." Chiyu said, pointing at his chest. Koto gave a look of disgust as he saw the skin up close. It looked like worms were crawling inside him.

Koto hesitantly placed his hand on the chest: "Brace yourself; this is going to hurt a little." She began to form the necessary hand signs for the jutsu. Rat, bird, ox, ox, horse, dog boar, monkey flashed across her hands and she pressed them into Koto's palm. A red aura surrounded their hands with the viscosity of water and poured into Seiou's chest. Koto could feel a painful tingle through his arm, as his chakra was congealed. The muscles almost immediately relaxed, the worm like protrusions sinking across his chest and his arm.

The vermiculation was cured but Seiou was still in critical condition. His heart was beginning to fibrillate, most likely from the spread of vermiculate muscle. Chiyu performed the hand signs for a new jutsu. She spread out her hands to allow the yellow lightning to spread across her palms.

"Lightning Style, Lightning palm Jutsu." She slammed her hands into Seiou's chest, sending lighting through his fibrillating heart. The attempt failed to regulate it. Knowing the heart could give any minute now she tried again. She knew she needed to remain calm but it was proving difficult in this situation. It took five tries but the heart finally stabilized.

Now that the major injuries were relived, she commenced to heal the minor wounds. She realigned the bones and connected them pretty quickly. The cuts though proved troublesome. Faint amounts of chakra still covered the wounds, making her use more energy than usual to seal them. She only made it through half of the abrasions before her energy was completely depleted.

"You need to work on those chakra stores of yours," Koto said.

"Shut up!" Chiyu painted, "this is harder than it looks you know."

"Yeah I know. But still what on earth happened to him?"

"I don't know, his sword is broken with no jagged edge, probably from a jutsu initiated by Seiou."

"How do you know that?"

"See these burn marks? They only coat the top of the hilt where the blade connects. Most likely, Seiou used a jutsu strong enough to make the sword explode."

"That's Seiou for you, he's amazing."

"There are also these broken bones. His back ribs and arm are broken from the back, indicating he was either slammed into a wall or attacked from behind. But nothing can get behind Seiou so I doubt it's the latter."

"Damn Chiyu, you're as sharp as ever."

"Thanks," Chiyu said, "but what are we going to do about this sword? Eisen is going to kill someone if he finds out about this."

"Find out what?" Eisen said, emerging from the trees. He looked fairly old, probably in his fifties but was still surprisingly fit and strong. His white mustache ran into his curved. His hair was also white with a bald spot at the skulls peak. He wore a light leather armor filled with pouches for chisels, hammers, tongs, and several blacksmith tools.

Both of them jumped in surprise, landing in front of Seiou's sword hand "Um… nothing."

"Nothing huh?" He said.

Chiyu was getting nervous. She never was good at hiding her feelings, "Yeah nothing hehehe."

He came mere inches from her face and stared at her. He pulled away soon after: "So, you found Seiou."

"Y-yeah we did," Koto said, "Good thing too, I don't think he would've lasted much longer."

"What happened?" Eisen asked shocked.

"We don't know but if Chiyu wasn't here, he'd probably be six feet under."

"We shouldn't stay here much longer then," Eisen said.

"What do you mean?" Chiyu asked.

"If someone was strong enough to make Seiou lose conciseness, then he's more than a match for us. He could've been defeated but we don't know that for sure. Our best bet is to take Seiou and get away as soon as possible."

"But Seiou is still unconscious. What do you plan to do with him?" Koto asked

"Why don't you carry him on your back? After all, it is an apprentices duty to take care of their master."

"Um… right I'll do it."

"And Chiyu, hand over that blade."

Chiyu jolted, "What do you mean?"

"Nice try but old eyes haven't given out yet. You fingered the blade from his hand while you were standing in front didn't you?"

"No I didn't. I-"

"Don't worry; I won't hold it against him. Seiou took great care in protecting my sword. In fact, I've never met another man who manages his weapons as caringly as he does."

Chiyu was moved. She never expected the old man to say something like that. She withdrew the blade from her ninja bag and handed it over.

"Don't worry Seiou," Eisen said nostalgically, "I won't make such a fragile blade next time. Com'n you two, we need to get out of here now."

Koto went to pick up Seiou, who turned out to be much heavier than he first thought. Eventually though, he moved the dead weight to a comfortable position. Chiyu picked up Eisen, considering he had no past training and put him on her back. As they left the village, one thing still bothered Chiyu. Over the past seven years, she had treated hundreds of people but Seiou… It's amazing he even stood a chance of living with those injuries; such a strong wills he had. What was his ultimate goal in life that he would stare death in the face to accomplish it? Only time would tell.

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading. Please leave a review. Trust me! Its is greatly appreciate good or bad. And yes, I do know vermiculation can't happen like that but hey, its my story.


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